


The Incandescent Wish

by watermargin



Category: Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms, GARO (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:48:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26201395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/watermargin/pseuds/watermargin
Summary: (Fusion of Garo and Fate/) Makai Priestess Rekka is drawn into a Holy Grail War. Together with Lancer, she'll have to defeat all competitors and secure the power the Grail promises. But she'll have to break out of the well-laid traps before it's too late.
Kudos: 1





	1. I.

The moon was large overhead, illuminating the mark on her hand with startling clarity. Command spells. The proof of a Master.

As if on cue, her Servant materialized beside her.

"Lancer." Rekka lowered her hand. "What is your wish for the Holy Grail?"

The heroic spirit was silent for a moment. The light glinted faintly off his golden armor. "I merely answered your call."

Rekka turned around. "That's it? Charity?" she demanded.

"If it makes you feel better," the Hero of Charity responded without inflection. "I have my principles as well."

"As well?" she echoed.

"Yes." He stared her down.

She glanced away. "Intuition of yours?"

"It's easy to tell." He adjusted his lance, drawing attention to it at the same moment he pointed it down. "I declare to you, Makai Priestess, I will use this lance to fight on your behalf." He paused. "What is your wish, Master?"

She turned away. "Eradication of all Horrors."

Behind her, she thought she could sense quiet judgement. But that could have been her imagination.

"Come, Karna," she said brusquely. "Our first target is Berserker."

* * *

Beserker and his Master had holed up in an abandoned warehouse. Rekka entered brazenly, Karna in spirit form behind her. 

\- _Master._ \- 

At Karna's warning, Rekka stopped in her tracks.

\- _The Berserker is near._ \- 

Rekka spared a glance across the recently-emptied warehouse. Shelving and boxes had been left behind, creating many hiding spots from which to monitor the entrance. "Shiguto!" she called out. 

"Heh. You knew I was here, huh?" Shuguto stepped out from behind an iron shelf.

"You're predictable," Rekka said unkindly. "Give up now and turn yourself in to the protection of the Grail War's Watchdogs."

"Rekka..." Shiguto said. "You're not saying that out of the goodness of your heart, are you?"

Instantaneously. Rekka jumped backwards, narrowly avoiding the blow that had fallen where'd she'd just been standing. She covered her face to protect from the debris thrown up from the attack.

Beserker straightened slowly, his eyes glowing the color of flame, his mouth twisted into the kind of grin that could have given the class its name. He pulled his katana out of the concrete.

"I have a wish too, Rekka," Shiguto said. "I'm going to fight for it."

"You'd better be prepared to lose," Rekka countered.

Karna materialized out of spirit form directly in front of Rekka, deflecting the Beserker's blade.

Shiguto covered his face as the Servants' clash blew a hole through the wall of the warehouse. And then he was face-to-face with Rekka, and only quick reflexes allowed him to jump out of her way.

"You're really going to do this, Rekka?" He dodged again, and ran out of the warehouse.

"You should have anticipated that the moment you became a Master." A quick sweep of her brush, she fired lightning at him.

He gritted his teeth as he threw a paper charm to deflect it, knowing that Rekka's spell could have been much stronger. She might be hesitating. Regardless, he couldn't expect her to go easy on him. He pulled out his teacher's oversize brush. "Akaza...lend me your aid." He fired a spell of his own.

Nearby, Karna deflected blow after blow.

"Why-don't-you-counterattack?" the Beserker demanded after each swing.

"That is not what my Master desires," Karna said.

"Huh?"

The Beserker looked over at the Masters. Rekka had thrown a set of ofuda around her, igniting mana, and seemed about to—

The Beserker realized it at the same time Shiguto did. "Master—"

"Command spell!" Shiguto shouted at the same time. " _Nobukatsu!_ "

Given power by the command, the Berserker shot forward.

Karna was ready for it. With a mana burst, he maneuvered in front of the Masters and threw out his lance.

It was over in an instant. The Beserker's Command-fueled momentum barreled him straight into the lance, piercing him through.

Nobukatsu looked down, slowly. "How...?"

Rekka's ofuda sizzled out, sparks landing on her coat as she lunged forward and knocked a stunned Shiguto to the ground. "You lose," she said.

"You...baited me into doing that...on purpose..."

Nobukatsu slumped over, and bit by bit, faded away. His hat hit the ground, and then that, too, dissipated.

Rekka waved her brush in Shiguto's face—a sleep spell.

She straightened. "Was that kind of tactic beneath your dignity?" she said.

"I would answer," Karna said. "But is that not what you're asking yourself, instead of me?"

Rekka looked down at the sleeping Shiguto. Her mouth twisted as she turned away. "I'm going to bring him to the Grail War's Watchdogs. Follow in spirit form."

"...Of course."

* * *

"You look troubled," Garm the Watchdog said as she lounged atop her perch. "Having second thoughts?"

Shiguto was sleeping fitfully on the dais that Rekka had been instructed to place him. 

She averted her gaze. "What would lead you to say that?"

The Watchdog chortled. "Just a word of warning, Makai Priestess Rekka. Being dishonest with yourself might cost you more than you bargained for."

"I will keep that warning in mind," Rekka said. "Please keep him safe."

"Who do you think I am?" the Watchdog said dismissively.

Rekka didn't answer that. She bowed her head in respect, then turned to leave.

She'd struck the first blow in this Holy Grail War. Including her, there were six now.


	2. II.

The flames gutted low in the burners. Madou flame illuminated the room in its place, dancing over the bowl filled with water. Rekka waved her brush into it, altering the spells laid on the bowl.

\- _You're dead-set on joining the fight yourself?_ \- Karna said.

"Nothing'll be able to stop me," Rekka snapped.

Karna was quiet. A contemplative quiet, as if he wanted to say something. Or maybe she was imagining it. Suddenly, she was angry at the telepathic communication.

"Materialize," she said.

The space before her flickered, deformed, and then Karna appeared. "Satisfied?" he said.

She was not. But even she could tell that his tone hadn't been rebellious or even challenging.

She twirled her brush between her fingers and waved another sigil into the compass. The madou flame burned high. "Make some tea, would you? Whichever one you want."

He hesitated for a moment, possibly to determine if she was messing with him, then went upstairs.

Alone again, Rekka continued working.

Saber. Archer. Caster, Rider, Assassin. She had only known about Beserker because she'd had a Makai Dragon follow Shiguto. It hadn't been difficult to figure that he had gone off to join the Holy Grail War.

Another pass with her brush. The madou flame burned high, and then settled back down and extinguished. It was done, tuned to detect the kind of mana used in the Holy Grail War. Obviously the other Masters, and probably Caster, might have ways to fool the compass, but it was a start.

She got up and went upstairs. She found Karna standing in the shop, looking at something, possibly of Indian design. Akaza had sold vaguely antique-looking knick-knacks...

"Does that remind you of home?"

Karna turned to her. "Not in particular."

Rekka went to the teapot and poured two cups.

Karna approached quietly. "This shop hasn't been open for a while."

"It was Akaza's—my teacher's."

He didn't inquire further, seeming to understand. He picked up the other teacup.

"Do you hold anger over the way you died?" she said quietly.

It was a loaded question. Negative emotions invited Horrors.

"Are you afraid?" he asked in return.

She looked up.

"Of your wish on the Holy Grail."

Her hands tightened around her teacup. She forced herself to calmly set it down.

His face was infuriatingly impassive.

"Fear or not," she said. "There are things that one has to do." She'd faced Shiguto, and won, believing in that.

Karna went over and picked up his spear he'd left leaning against the wall. "Then for your sake," he said. "Don't waver."

* * *

She was in a bamboo forest. The moon was hugely bright overhead. Everything was silent.

Rekka turned a full rotation, taking in the surroundings. There didn't seem to be a threat here.

Something brought her attention back to the bamboo stalk in front of her. A small glow had started within.

_—realize_

_You need to realize—_

* * *

Rekka opened her eyes. Then levered herself up. She was lying on the couch of the workshop. She had only intended to close her eyes for a minute.

The compass was still. That certainly was...a sign. She went over to inspect it. It had been tuned to the highest sensitivity that she could give it.

Shiguto had been a Makai Priest as well. It shouldn't be a surprise that other Masters could be Makai Priests as well. 

No, that was wrong. She should assume that anyone who could sense and use the kind of mana in use in this Grail War was able to put up protections against such things as the compass. In that sense, the most dangerous target, that they should go after next, was Caster...or Assassin.

A noise made her jump.

"Lancer."

\- _Ready to respond,_ \- Karna answered.

She nodded curtly, and headed upstairs. 

Something was in the shop. She palmed her brush as she observed it. It was a faintly glowing blue...fish?

Rekka jumped out, and, with a practiced circle of her brush, threw lightning at it. The blue Makai Dragon was hit dead on, and dissipated into golden speckles in the air.

\- _A familiar?_ \- 

"That's right. Of the kind used by a Makai Priest." More importantly... "They may know I'm here."

* * *

Rekka had made the decision to split up. He couldn't say that he agreed with it, but she'd been adamant that she would summon him with a Command Seal if she needed him. 

The night was quiet.

Until—

A surge of mana to the east, so brief that it was almost easy to miss. He whirled around.

A girl stood in front of him, pale hair bound up in twintails. "Good evening," she said. Her otherwise sweet, pleasant tone was undercut by a hint of menace. At his silence, a smug little smile slid onto her face. "Say, who is it that you really want to see?"

It appeared in a flash, atrociously clear in his mind's eye. A noble figure, adamantly hiding the things he didn't want others to see. A shining, gleaming arrow, pulled back to its maximum tension, pointed at him. 

He dodged to the side, but when he looked again, the illusion was gone. The girl stood in its place, her own bow pointed at him.

"Charm skill," he identified.

She smiled, and fired.

* * *

With her orange Makai Dragon as a guide, Rekka pursued all the way to the bridge. Karna had known that she was a Makai Priestess, so she could only assume that that information had been given to him when he had been summoned to this time period. That did not, however, mean that she was comfortable showing him the magic and methodologies of the Makai Priests.

There was someone in front of her. A billowing dress. Long, flowing hair, floating in the breeze. "Good evening," the elegant young woman said.

Rekka slowed to a stop.

"It's a dangerous time of night to be out," the young woman said, though she must have been a bit younger than Rekka, high school-aged, even. "So," she continued. "Are you a Master?"

The glow of her eyes was all the warning Rekka had. She darted aside—too late. Her sleeve twisted itself into a million tiny shreds. If her coat hadn't been enchanted against damage, that would have been her entire arm. 

"Mystic Eyes—?" She glanced over to the young woman. "Asagami?"

"You know of them?" the young woman, Asagami, said. "Then _twist_."

Rekka jumped away again. She whirled to observe: the spot that Rekka had formerly been standing turned into twisted rubble. With no time to think, she dodged away again as Asagami continued her assault.

"It's useless to run away," Asagami said, a grin twisting her delicate features.

Pulling a whistle out, Rekka landed on her feet and blew a wisp of madou flame toward Asagami's face. The wisp never got a chance to detect if Asagami was a Horror. It was twisted into nothingness, and then Rekka had to put distance between them again. 

Rekka could not harm a human. "Tch—" She drew a circle in the air, exerting her will to dilute it, and cast lightning at the young woman. It arced into Asagami's blind spot; her reaction to it was slow. For a split second, Rekka was certain the spell would connect.

—A mere hair's-breath away. The lightning was intercepted, deflected in one smooth motion. A bone mask melted out of the shadows, belonging to a lithe young woman who had impossibly appeared out of thin air. "That was reckless, Master."

"Ah, you're finished then, Assassin?" Asagami said. 

With no preamble, the Assassin charged toward Rekka, horrifically fast. Rekka had only a split second— " _Lancer!_ "

A twinge of pain on her hand as the Command Seal deployed. At the same moment, vermilion flame rained down on the Assassin, halting her advance.

Rekka fell to her knees. Her breathing was labored.

Karna stood in front of her. "I'll say one thing," he said, planting his lance. "We will be joined shortly by another Servant."

"Hmph. Unfortunate," the Assassin said. "Master, shall we go?"

"That would be best," Asagami said. The Assassin retreated to her side, and then the night swallowed them up.

Rekka's palms landed on the ground of their own volition, dragged by gravity. Her vision was being encroached. She inhaled through gasps.

Karna turned his attention to her. "...Poison."

Rekka finally realized it. Since Assassin's arrival, a poison cloud had cloaked the area, so potent that it had affected Rekka even in the wide-open space they had been fighting in.

He picked her up against her feeble protest and launched himself into a mighty jump away from the bridge. At the edge of his vision, something moved. Someone keeping pace, keeping their distance. The twin-tailed girl, the Archer, had caught up.

"How rude, running away like that," she said. "You seem to be in a bind now, though. How about I help you out?"

Karna didn't slow. Even if the girl was pinpoint accurate, and even if her arrow missed, it would still be an attack from a Servant: its area of effect would be enormous. On his shoulder, Rekka had fallen unconscious. She wouldn't be able to land safely if he threw her out of immediate range, and she was too close to him for him to safely defend.

The mana mounted, then sharpened, coalescing into an arrowpoint.

"Eye of the..."

With little choice, he ignited flame at the tip of his spear.

"Eurya—"

A tremendous surge of mana interrupted, a rush through the blood. "My, my. Having fun, are we?"

"Who are you?" the twin-tailed girl demanded.

The purple-cloaked Servant floating in the air smirked, the only part of her face visible under her hood. Her cloak fanned out like bat wings. Glowing magic circles formed on the wings, and then shot toward the Archer.

Karna perceived somebody watching them. One of either of the two Masters of the Servants now facing off, most likely. He didn't detect any enmity. Rather, if the watcher was the Master of the new Servant, they must have intervened for Rekka's sake.

All of that taken into consideration, he didn't stick around to find out. While the two female Servants fought, he used the distraction to make his way back to the workshop.


	3. III.

Rekka came back to consciousness slowly, dragging air painfully into her lungs.

The ceiling fuzzily came into view. She labored into a sitting position, noting that she had been laid on the sofa of the workshop. A detoxifier was lying on the table nearby—a madou tool in the shape of an incense burner, wafting antitoxin in the air.

\- _You do recognize it._ -

She was reasonably certain that Karna couldn't use madou tools. She looked up as the stairs creaked. 

Shiguto.

\- _He was here when I brought you back,_ \- Karna said.

"You're awake, huh?" Shiguto descended the stairs.

"This was you." She nodded at the detoxifier.

"Yeah. Good thing, huh?" He took a seat at the chair beside the sofa. "How are you feeling?"

"...Lucky," she said. She sighed. "What are you doing here, Shiguto?"

"Well, about that..." Shiguto rubbed at the back of his neck. "I had a dream..."

"A dream?"

"Yeah. It told me you were going to be in trouble."

"...Really." Makai Priest's intuition sometimes manifested as dreams. Getting a bad feeling about Rekka's safety in this war wasn't exactly deep, either. That wouldn't have made him shifty to say.

"Well...it just felt..." Shiguto paused, gathering his thoughts. "Like there was a consciousness behind it."

"I see." After a moment, Rekka stood. "Shiguto. Go back to the Watchdog Garm."

He glanced at the remaining Command Seals on his hand. "Because I'm in danger when I still have these, huh..."

She thought of telling him that Akaza would have wanted him to live. But that was a low blow and she knew it.

"Rekka..." Shiguto said. "Do you remember how we got into this war?" he started, and then jumped when Karna materialized.

Rekka's Makai Dragon came in and floated to Rekka. 

"It's the Servant that saved you," Karna said. He glanced at the ceiling, in the direction of the shop's entrance. "While I was bringing you here, another Servant intervened, to help us get away. It seems they're right outside."

"Sounds like a lot happened," Rekka said distractedly. The tiny dragon swam to the compass and then through the magical display, changing its shape. "That's...Kagome..."

"The Master?" Shiguto interjected, his gaze at the compass. "She's here in person?"

"Looks like it," Rekka said brusquely. She grabbed her coat from the nearby chair and pulled it on, the torn sleeve giving her momentary pause. "Shiguto, Lancer will create a distraction. Sneak out then and return to the Watchdog station."

"But—"

"Or I could knock you out and take you there myself."

" _Rekka—!_ "

"Make your decision." She was already heading to the stairs. "I don't have time."

* * *

The Servant in the cloak was floating high above when Rekka emerged from the shop. Behind her, flame erupted as Lancer threw his lance at the Servant. 

"Kagome," Rekka confirmed, sparks falling around them. "What brings you here?"

The other Makai Priestess, sheathed in black, peered at her calmly. "I'm not here to fight. Will you call your Servant off?"

Rekka thought about it. She didn't know if Shiguto would take advantage of the distraction; she couldn't force him. "You first," she said finally.

"...Alright," Kagome said. She raised her voice. "Rider!"

"Hmph." The cloaked Rider floated to Kagome's side. "A bit accommodating, aren't you, Master?" She disappeared into spirit form.

Rekka glanced up at Karna, who followed suit. "I heard you saved me," she said, turning back to Kagome. "Thank you."

"I didn't come for thanks," Kagome said. She stepped closer. "I came to call a truce."

Nonplussed, Rekka said, "What do you mean?"

"We call a ceasefire between ourselves until we've taken out everyone else," Kagome said eagerly. "How does that sound?"

Rekka gazed at her. Something about this made her uncomfortable, but Kagome seemed honest. But that in itself was strange... "You don't seem the type to do something like this," Rekka said. "Why did you join this war?"

"I have a wish," Kagome said. "Isn't that the reason you joined it, too?"

Kagome...there was something off about Kagome. Rekka stared at her, ignoring the pounding that had started behind her eyes.

"Rekka?"

Rekka inhaled. "There's no reason for me to accept this truce," she said.

Kagome slumped. It seemed she had committed to this plan.

The Makai Dragon wasn't Kagome's. There was someone else who knew where Rekka was holed up. 

Suddenly, Karna was in front of her. With wide sweeps of his lance, he deflected the mana blasts that rained down. Rekka covered her face as the mana burst beside her. Karna could have tanked them; for her sake, he'd knocked them away. Rekka exhaled slowly at unexpectedly having to handle another fight so soon after the last, and braced herself.

"Sorry, Rekka," Kagome said.

"This makes things easy," Rekka rejoindered. Her brush whirled, and a bolt of lightning shot forward.

Kagome dodged to the side. "I was afraid of that."

Above their heads, the Rider defended herself with a volley of magic bursts, blocking Karna's approach, her cloak extended like wings. 

"Answer me something, Rider," Karna said. With a sweep of his lance, he scattered the array. "Did you eliminate the Archer?"

The Rider chuckled as she flew backward, momentarily pausing her assault. "She disappeared, but not by my hand." She raised an arm. "My Master killed the other Master. Amusing, no?"

A rumble started in the air below her, displacing the air, accompanied by the sound of striking wind and rushing water. Something massive was being summoned. Karna fell back as a ship emerged from thin air between them.

"She felt very bad, of course," Rider continued. "Adorable." She lowered her arm. The Greek ship was enveloped by light. "Pursuit of the _Argo_. _Noble Phantasm - Taboo-chaser!_ "

Karna raised his lance, but what met him wasn't anything he expected. Before his eyes, his gaze dragged and chained to the ship, something was being cut up. Decency. Rules set out by social propriety being violated. Despite himself, he stopped dead, the feeling of clenching in his chest.

In the midst of it, something struck him.

"Lancer—!"

Kagome intercepted, forcing Rekka to fall back. "Should you be distracted right now?" Kagome said.

"You're not a match for me," Rekka said. "You just chose this moment because you know I'm injured."

Kagome looked aside, uncomfortable. Rekka didn't let that chance go past. She tossed a few talismans in rapid succession, and then ignited them. She followed up by closing in. Kagome raised her brush in self-defense, and the two Priestesses came face-to-face, exchanging blows.

Nearby, Karna landed on his feet. His armor had reduced the damage to scratches. Despite the Rider's Noble Phantasm having been able to overwhelm his discernment momentarily, he had come to his senses in time to avoid her stabbing him, though he hadn't quite gotten a good look at the blade.

\- _Karna..._ -

\- _I'm unharmed,_ \- he responded.

Kagome fired another volley. Rekka ran to avoid them.

"What's your wish, Rekka?" Kagome shouted into the space between them. "Why did you join this ritual?"

" _O Agni._ " Flame rained down on the Rider.

She drifted behind her ship, using it as cover.

\- _Karna. Continue a full assault._ -

Karna deflected the Rider's return blasts. - _That'll cause you a large mana drain._ -

Rekka tossed a handful of ofuda and ignited them. - _Her Servant has already used a Noble Phantasm, and she has been been tossing around spells at me on top of that. Her body will give out before mine does._ -

The tip of Karna's lance was engulfed in flame. - _As you wish._ \- "Brahmastra..."

Kagome defended against Rekka's attack and then jerked her gaze up. "That..."

"Give up, Kagome."

Rekka was suddenly right beside her. Kagome dodged a punch.

" _—Kundala!_ "

Overwhelming pressure. The Rider's immediately-constructed bounded field shattered under the force of the flame. The ship listed to the side, and sank into the incorporeal waves of the night sky.

Kagome was knocked to the ground, breathing heavily. She stared at her hands in front of her, which felt like she could witness them burning up along with the rest of her, exposed to the enormous output of that attack. Gasping, she looked around.

Rekka was standing before her. Hunched over, sweat on her brow, but still standing. She raised her brush; a brief flash. Kagome collapsed, rendered unconscious from Rekka's spell. Rekka stumbled forward, then fell harshly to her knees beside Kagome. With an effort, she looked up.

The Rider had not managed to escape damage. Nearly immaterialized, she aimed one last spiteful blast at Rekka.

Karna intercepted and stood in front of it; the mana skittered off the near-invulnerability of his armor in a shower of sparks. Thankfully the Rider hadn't formulated her final spell in the form of a curse. 

Out of mana with which to repair herself and maintain her spirit origin, the Rider faded away.

Silence descended, chasing away the residue of the battle. Karna lowered his lance and glanced over his shoulder. At the sight of Rekka's state, he went into spirit form. 

Even with the burden of manifesting him relieved, spots swam before Rekka's eyes. A deep pain had started to throb in her head.

Kagome...was...

\- _Rekka, get inside._ -

"I know." Rekka labored to her feet.

* * *

A cool night breeze drifted across her face. She was surrounded by a forest of bamboo, underneath the moon.

She breathed deeply.

The breeze was soothing on her skin. The moon was extremely bright, leaving an afterglow on her eyelids.

* * *

Rekka woke up on the floor of the workshop. She sat up slowly. Kagome was on the couch. 

She stared a moment. While Rekka had made sure to bring Kagome all the way through the shop and to the workshop, but she hadn't been able to carry her that far...

\- _Karna, who...?_ -

\- _Your friend Shiguto. He left a few hours ago._ -

"...Oh." Rekka went to check on Kagome, and, finding her breathing easily, went upstairs to take a drink of water.

\- _He wasn't sure if you wanted him to bring the Priestess with him. He said it aloud. I couldn't answer him._ -

...Because he would have had to materialize and draw on Rekka's mana, was the insinuation, probably. Rekka didn't need that much information, but Karna got talkative at the oddest times.

"That was wise. I'll take her over later." She finished off her water, and then sat down.

\- _Will you rest?_ -

She drew a little sigil in the air, a minor prayer for energy, and waited for it to dissipate into her. "I'll strengthen the defenses first, and then go. It's too dangerous to keep her here long." Kagome would probably be upset once she woke up, after all.

Now to get started. She headed downstairs to the workshop. Kagome was still asleep; Rekka went over and lifted her onto her shoulder. Thankfully the Watchdog station wasn't that far away. 

"You're back," Watchdog Garm said.

Rekka deposited Kagome on a plinth. "Does it bother you, Watchdog?"

"Of course. You've already given me one brat to take care of."

Rekka stared at her, unsure how seriously she should take that statement.

Watchdog Garm chuckled. "Get back to your war, priestess Rekka. They'll be safe with me."


	4. Chapter 4

On the streets, a low corporeal miasma covered the town. Her small dragon scouts had been reporting it for the last two days; the miasma seemed to not have done anything. So far. Haven fallen victim to poison in this war already, Rekka proceeded carefully, perched atop a building. 

Something whispered at the back of her mind as she observed the miasma. "It's like a net," she commented. But not to catch anything with. No, this was a network—

Light in the sky caught her attention. A dance of weaving lights, a burst of sparks.

\- _A battle between Servants. Will you join in?_ -

Rekka had already started in that direction. "Let's observe."

When she got close enough, the clash was nearly invisible for how fast they moved. One of the participants was only recognizable because the Master was present: Asagami, half-hidden in a doorway below.

The opponent...she caught only glimpses. A flash of half white hair. Projectiles. Swords. The Saber, most likely, not solely because of the swords but the specs. 

He fended off the Assassin with ease. He wasn't facing her head-on: he was defending his Master, who was standing in the open. A brazen taunt. 

"Rian..."

Makai Priestess Rian stood with her arms crossed, watching the attacks directed at her life get deflected one after the other. Rekka spotted the Priestess-cast bounded field at her feet, protecting her from the poison that bled through the Saber's defenses.

Rekka spotted the blue Makai Dragon at the corner of her eye before she magically swatted it away.

Rian turned to look at her. Recognition gleamed in her eyes.

A flash of mana drained from Rekka; Karna materialized in front of her. A bit of Karna's flaming mantle touched Rekka's cheek. 

The force of it blew Rekka's coat almost horizontal. A blade pressed the golden lance. Karna's eyes narrowed. Face to face with the Saber, Karna was assailed by a feeling, bordering on the edge of familiarity.

The Saber disengaged, then leapt back to Rian to deflect the Assassin.

"Retreat, Rekka," Karna said. "Your mana hasn't recovered enough."

He heard her teeth grind. "Fine," she relented. With a last gaze-lock with Rian, Rekka went.

* * *

The Makai Dragon came back to find Rekka waiting for it. It whimsically poked at her hand, then swam to the compass.

The result: Assassin, eradicated.

Rekka settled back down in the chair. Rian was a Makai Priestess; Asagami was likely with the Watchdogs rather than dead. Speculatively, she ran her brush over the sleeve of her coat. "Lancer. Did you recognize that Saber?"

She could sense him thinking. He appeared faintly before her, not quite materialized, an in-between state that used an inconsequential amount of her magical energy while allowing them to talk more comfortably. 

"Perhaps." He was silent for another moment. "In some distant memory, there might have been someone I fought. A Servant similar to him, but not the same."

"A...variant?"

"Not quite... But perhaps in that they share similar origins."

"...I see," she said, though not really. "Will that be a problem?"

"You already know the answer."

* * *

Rekka woke up with a start. She was lying on the couch. An incense burner was next to her. It had burned out; she had used it to recoup some of her energy, but she felt more tired than before. 

Shiguto had kept an energy tonic somewhere... She got up to look for it.

It was hiding among his things, of course—he hadn't had time to take anything with him, the commencement of the Holy Grail War had been so sudden. She downed it in one gulp.

She didn't want to admit that she felt exhausted. Karna had been upfront that he'd require a lot of mana, and she thought she'd prepared well enough for it.

She rubbed her eyes. Or maybe, she had to admit, this had little to do with mana consumption. Kagome... She hadn't failed to hear that Kagome had killed. Something in Rekka's gut was adamant that that wasn't like Kagome, but Karna had told her what Rider had said, and later she'd gone to confirm it herself.

There was no denying it. And yet, something nagged at her.

\- _Rekka._ -

"What is it?"

\- _The Saber is moving._ -

"...I see."

\- _Can you move?_ -

She stood. "I'll be alright as long as I stay incognito. Where is he headed?"

He was quiet a moment. - _Unsure. Possibly...a shinto shrine._ -

"Alright." She pulled her coat on and moved out.

The wind was stiff on her face. Now that she was out here, it was obvious: an enormous mana that was headed in a direction that might have been a big temple.

Rekka didn't have the skill necessary to hide her presence, so she proceeded at a clip behind, pulling her Makai Dragons back to follow at a safer distance. Karna stayed in spirit form to mask his mana signature.

The Saber's mana died down as he reached the temple.

Rekka stopped a few blocks away. She made her way to the top of a building to get a better vantage point.

"Is he going after the Caster?" she murmured. The Caster had been conspicuous by their lack of presence. Now that the only two other Servants were Saber and Lancer, Caster could not possibly not be making plots or plans.

From her perch, the temple area was quiet. She sat down, cross-legged, to wait.

* * *

The Saber had left the temple without seeming to have done anything. Perhaps the Caster wasn't there.

...Perhaps Rian had been trying to pinpoint the Caster from the start, in the same way that Rekka had targeted Shiguto.

She got up to return to the shop. There was no reason to follow the Saber's movement; after he went into spirit form, he would be untraceable. 

She had reached the street when—

Something streaked toward her. Rekka felt the drain on her mana a split second before Karna materialized and met the Saber's blade.

"There you are."

Rekka looked up. There. Rian was standing on a balcony nearby. "Were you luring me out?" Rekka said as the Servants clashed overhead.

"Would you believe me if I said no?" Rian smiled. "But if you were going to be obliging..." She jumped over the balcony, pulling out her gun and aiming a shot.

Rekka jumped away to avoid it. Without a pause, Rian continued her assault. Rekka alternately dodged and blocked the bullets. One of her orange Makai Dragons appeared to harry Rian.

Caught by surprise, Rian stumbled backward, giving Rekka an opening to surge forward into Rian's face. Rian raised an arm to block, and retaliated.

They exchanged blows. Their brushes met.

"What's your wish on the Grail, Rekka?" Rian said.

"Eradication of Horrors," Rekka said. "What's yours?" Rekka disengaged her brush. They jumped apart.

"The same," Rian said.

Silence passed between them, along with something else. It might have been a form of understanding.

The moment passed.

They moved at the same time; their brushes raised, they sent attacks at each other. The magic clashed, then was absorbed into the huge mana that was forming above.

Rekka looked up. The Saber was holding his blade in an unmistakable stance. Rekka glanced at Rian, who smirked, waved irreverently, and started to retreat.

Karna had already started a counter. Rekka backed off, and started running to get away from firing range. Her Dragons dissolved; she released as much mana usage as possible as Karna absorbed it. This close, she felt the heat. The flame. Karna cast off his armor.

" _Vasavi..._ "

His voice rang in her head.

" _Shakti!_

Rekka was tossed forward. 

Mana...strange and unfamiliar. Something had interrupted, had taken advantage of the clash. Rekka was drawn into a swirl. Bamboo shoots shot up all around her, closing her in.

_—mber—_

A huge moon filled her view.

She gasped, missing air.

_—You must remember—_

Her brush was in her hand, but her spell-making was dampened, she could feel it in her bones. And then—

"Rekka!"

A voice. A hand reached for her.

She grabbed it.

* * *

She landed jarringly on her knees. Breath was dragged painfully into her lungs. 

"Karna..."

Still looking over her, Karna dematerialized.

Rekka exhaled slowly. "Thanks." She gingerly picked herself up. "The Saber?"

\- _We called a truce to rescue our Masters, and split up,_ \- was the response.

"...I don't suppose you know what that was," she said reluctantly.

\- _Perhaps... It could have been Caster._ -


	5. Chapter 5

She stepped into the shop, and then stopped. Something was...odd. Something had always been somewhat odd, which she'd attributed to discomfort with how this ritual was run, having to have someone who was not a Makai Priest with her at all times, but with every Master she had met since the commencement of this War, the feeling had curdled.

She walked slowly inside. Her footfalls rang heavy as she descended the stairs of the workshop.

Kagome...

When had she met Kagome? After she had started working for the Makai Council. By then, neither she nor Shiguto were using this shop and this atelier.

* * *

"Touching my shoulder should be able to bring me back," Rekka said. She ran a hand over the cloth, smoothing it out, then placed a brazier on it, and then more of her tools, in sequence. 

"'Should', you say." There was a pause. Then he continued, "Does that not mean you're unsure?"

She was not unsure. Of course, there was the issue that Karna would have to materialize to do so, but she could trust his judgement. "I've been through uncertain situations before," she said. 

She stepped back. After a final check, she walked to the middle of the circle and sat in its center. With a few brushtrokes, she activated the spell. She closed her eyes.

* * *

The moon was enormous overhead. The ground crackled as she walked through the bamboo forest. 

_—You must remember._

The voice that had been calling to Rekka was at its strongest at that moment, as close as if the speaker was right next to her. 

The moon shone down. Deep, shining column of hair, almost blue in the moonlight. An elaborate, olden-style kimono. A human-like figure.

Rekka came to a stop. "Horror-fighting Madou Tool, Kaguya," she declared.

Kaguya opened her eyes, and nodded. "I have finally reached you, Makai Priestess."

Rekka frowned. There were a number of ways that Kaguya could have caught her attention that didn't involve nearly killing her via her Servant's interrupted Noble Phantasm, but she couldn't deny that there had been a voice from the very beginning. "You were summoned," she said.

Kaguya nodded. "I was summoned as 'Caster' and eliminated by Assassin. But I couldn't disappear just yet."

"Why would that be?"

Kaguya's gaze pierced through her. "Makai Priestess, do you remember entering this ritual of war?"

Rekka did not. That was a problem that she had considered but hadn't been able to reconcile. "There's a Horror in this ritual?"

Kaguya shook her head. "A Horror was the center of this ritual to begin with."

* * *

Shiguto raised his head, alarmed, when the normally-lounging Watchdog Garm sat up.

"Watch the other two for me, Makai Priest," Garm said.

Shiguto glanced at the other two Masters. They—and him—were being kept in the same area; Shiguto had attributed it to laziness, but maybe there had been a good reason. "What's going on?"

"Is it not obvious, Makai Priest?" Garm said sardonically.

Shiguto did feel a rumbling. Something threatening underneath the surface.

"You're the only one awake. You'd better stay alert."

"Right." Shiguto drew in a breath. "I'll handle things on this end."

Garm snorted. "Reliable when you put your mind to it, aren't you? Very well, stand guard for now. We'll continue to observe."

* * *

"So that's how it is," Karna said.

"Servants were summoned inside the parameters of the ritual, to prevent them from noticing. Caster—Kaguya—only noticed after her Master was killed."

"It makes sense."

"...Karna," Rekka said after a moment. "This means that the promise of granting a wish was always false. You could withdraw from this war right now."

"That is not something you need to worry about."

Rekka's fingers tightened. "I hope you don't come to regret that."

"...I misspoke. I meant to say, I'll stay with you until you defeat the ritual. I told you at the start, didn't I? I did not answer the summons for the sake of a wish on the Grail."

"In that case." Rekka stood. "Thank you for the support. Let's get to work."

* * *

Rian was waiting at a recessed area in the ground. Her eyes were closed, to all appearances like she was calm and composed, but for the sheer mana surrounding the area.

\- _Dragon core, it seems._ -

Not the two kinds of dragons Rekka was familiar with, Rekka assumed.

\- _Saber can manifest himself independently,_ \- Karna clarified.

"Right," Rekka muttered. She stood, and jumped down. "Rian."

Rian opened her eyes. 

"Did you talk to Kaguya?"

Rian tilted her head. "Who?"

"You haven't felt the drain much, have you?" In order to protect his Master from a huge mana burden, the Saber had used his dragon core as a source of energy. In addition...Kaguya had elucidated that the Horror had been draining the mana of the participants. 

"What are you getting at?"

"This is a false Grail War," Rekka said plainly. "It's a Horror's trick."

Rian tilted her head. "You don't seem the deceptive type. Who did you hear this from?"

"Kaguya. The Anti-Horror Madou Tool."

Rian scoffed. "That was the Caster, you know."

Rekka scrutinized her. As expected. Kaguya had suspected that some kind of additional glamor had been cast over Saber's Master, the favorite to win the War. On top of which, Rekka had had her own suspicions about Rian's differing base of knowledge as a Priestess. "You don't know who I am, do you?"

Rian showed no such recognition. "Talk's over," she said. The Saber manifested above her.


	6. Chapter 6

"Watchdog—is something changing out there?"

"Perceptive of you," Watchdog Garm grumbled. 

Shiguto rubbed his head, wondering if he was being mocked. It had been Garm's reaction that had tipped him off in the first place. But Shiguto could feel it now—a massive pressure, almost akin to a storm, in the air. In another few minutes it would be suffocating.

"Seems like it's taking notice," the Watchdog mumbled.

Shiguto stepped closer to the two unconscious Masters, nervously pulling his brush out. One of them was a Makai Priestess, but he wasn't sure she'd be willing to help if he woke her up. "What's taking notice?"

The Watchdog glanced at him. "The Horror that had swallowed you all inside."

* * *

The ground fell away. Tumbling into an abyss, the two Makai Priests cast their respective spells to slow their descent, and the heroes activated their mana, staring each other down.

They made a forceful landing, a shockwave that spread across the barren, blue-cast ground, shattering the pillars that lay across the landscape. It was harder to breathe in this subspace.

There was a single moment where everything was still. 

Something pulsed. Rekka had only a moment to note it, before Rian made the first shot, igniting the fight again. 

Through blows and spells, Rekka had time to breathe. Rian was a powerful Priestess. When they had met the first time, Rekka had fought her to a standstill.

But Rekka was from a different time, from the future. She had grown. And it was becoming a certainty as the fight dragged on that Rian had a pall over her, an influence by the Horror that made her reactions and spells just a touch slow.

Rekka dodged a barrage and ran to the spot marked by a green circle on the ground. Rian fell for it. Bamboo shoots plunged upward, trapping Rian into a cage. 

Rian swiped her brush across, breaking it immediately, only to be faced with a set of mini-brushes about to hit her. Reflexively, she swiped again, deflecting them. At that moment, Rekka threw a set of paper talismans. They pinned themselves to the air at key points, aiming the mini-brushes back at Rekka.

Rian lowered her arm, puzzled.

Rekka kicked the first of the brushes, lifting her leg straight up, then the next two simultaneously with her arms. Rian glanced up at the brushes forming a circle in the air, and realized what was going on too late. Bursts of flame got in her way as she tried to run forward to intervene.

Rekka hit the last brush forward, it pierced the circle of brushes. They resonated. Massive flame formed, sizzling the air, forming itself into a moving bird of flame. Rian threw up her arms, as Sigurd landed in front of her, dispelling the flamebird in one heave of his sword.

"Via Command Spell, I empower you." A glow at Rekka's hand.

Sigurd jerked his gaze up. Karna was hovering over a dip in the ground, his gaze focused downward.

"Destroy it and peel back this distorted ritual!"

Instantaneously, the Command Seals infused him with a vast amount of mana. "As you wish." His lifted his lance as it was enveloped in that energy.

The facsimile cup rose out of the dip in self-defense, dull glint buried beneath pulsing veins, its face pierced with holes, its base seeming to be melting into the ground.

" _Vasavi..._ "

Flame erupted.

" _Shakti._ "

* * *

A collapse. The shockwave of the destruction shook the entire subspace. The ground opened up beneath their feet. 

Rekka tumbled into the abyss.

Someone grabbed her wrist, flame enveloping her, at enough distance to be hot but not harming, using flame as a force to counter the fall, using the remaining energy he possessed until he disappeared, slowing her descent.

She regained her breath. - _Thank you._ -

She might have seen a smile faintly appearing on his face before he faded away completely.

The subspace ruptured, and then solidified again.

Rekka twirled her brush and cast a spell, then jumped off the spell and landed lightly on her feet.

The Horror landed a few feet away, reforming itself into a painting-like canvas extending into a scaly body with a sinuous tail. The Horror had been severely weakened by Karna, and, having been severed from the false grail ritual, Rekka felt like she could breathe in a long time in a while.

Getting her second wind, Rekka gathered herself, and, while the Horror was still reforming, she lifted her brush.

The Horror reared. 

Rekka threw a series of paper talismans. They whirled around her, and she traced her brush in a large circle, a lesser-powered version of the spell she'd baited Rian with. As the Horror roared, she fired.

The spell slammed through the heart of the Horror.

Whiteout. 

Distantly, she could see Rian, and Kagome and the others. Shiguto whirled around, spotted her. As he ran to her side, everything dissipated. 

"Shigu—"

"I wouldn't take another step, Makai Priestess."

Suddenly, Watchdog Garm was right in front of her. Rekka reflexively stepped back.

"Good job, I guess. Though it took you long enough to notice," the Watchdog continued. "Took a lot of effort to do something about all of you like this."

"What is happening to them?"

"Returning to their timelines. Including the Makai Priest. It may be slight, but he is from a slightly different time than you."

"Oh." Unbidden, Rekka thought about Kagome. "I..." But she knew perfectly well what a Watchdog would say if a Makai Priestess even so much as suggested intervention in what happened to Kagome. "...What about you?"

"I can make my own way back." She was slowly starting to dissipate herself. "Don't you worry yourself, Makai Priestess. It'll be restored correctly."

Rekka had barely time to comprehend that before her vision cut out.

* * *

A gentle breeze blew across her face. Rekka jerked to her feet. 

She was in a grassy field. She recognized it as the place she'd been playing her flute... That's right. She remembered the moment she had been drawn into the subspace. There was nothing in the air there now.

She reached a hand out to make sure, then her gaze landed on the back of her hand. She pulled off her glove. 

...The back of her hand was pristine. There was nothing on it.

That was obvious, of course. She pulled the glove back on.

One threat eliminated, but her work was unending. She offered a brief smile, perhaps for Karna, and then she turned to continue onward. 

\- Fin


End file.
